This invention relates to an ultrasonic atomizer for entraining liquids in a gas stream, and more particularly to such an atomizer and associated structure for metering the gas entrained atomized liquid flow therefrom.
Devices presently available for entraining an atomized liquid in a gas stream are typified by currently available carburetors for entraining atomized gasoline in an air stream. Fuel and air is generally improperly mixed in currently available carburetors because the flow of atomized fuel and the air stream tend to stratify due to the high velocity and common direction of flow for both the fuel and the air stream. Moreover, the entrained atomized fuel is subject to removal from the air stream by impingement on mechanical parts located along the air stream path. Also coalescence occurs, wherein small droplets coalesce and form large drops of the atomized liquid due to turbulence in the air stream atomized liquid flow path induced by structural impedances therein. Consequently more entrained liquid is removed from the air stream due to the increased mass of the drops. Normal butterfly valves positioned in the throats of conventional carburetors cause distortion in the fuel entrained air flow, thereby causing a removal of an additional amount of the atomized fuel from the air flow and a deposit of liquid fuel on the walls of the air flow path. Inefficient operation of the device being provided with the fuel air mixture results.
A device is needed which provides an atomized liquid having a low velocity in opposition to the sense of the gas flow velocity for more thorough mixing with a gas stream for entraining the atomized liquid.